getting to higher wages at walmart

[rob in cal]

  Last night the Bern mentioned Walmart and their low wage structure.  I'm wondering what some approaches are to change this.  The earnings per share of Walmart isn't that great so its not like there is tonnes of profit out there going to shareholders in the form of dividends.  I'm thinking less employees per store, slightly higher prices, maybe a membership requirement, and because of all this some higher salaries that in turn  leads to less turnover that leads to less HR costs that can also go to higher wages. I don't go there very often, but it does seem like they have a fair amount of employees working, so less employees might be a key option. Customers probably wouldnt' mind too much as long as prices are about as low as they are, it would be worth the loss in customer service quality for many customers as long as they can still get great deal.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I mean, perhaps it's just my nature to take the opposite position of one already taken, but you understand that there is $15 billion of profit. You make that situation seem far too dismal. And yes, there would be a strong inclination to cut people if they had to pay more, and no, they can't change the rest of their model. Their base isn't going to pay higher prices if there is competition, and I don't see membership going over well for a store like that.

[Seneca]

How to get higher wages at Wal-Mart? The workers would have to unionize en masse. If Wal-Mart's labor force can credibly threaten to shut the entire business down, the bosses will figure out the logistical changes necessary to raise wages.

[dead0man]

Ideally, workers would raid the firearm section and cooperatize the business at gunpoint, operating the newly created not-for-profit to fulfill the goals of higher wages, providing jobs, ending food & shopping deserts, teaching self-sufficiency, ending supplier usage of unfair and illegal labor and environmental practices, shifting away from poor-quality imports when possible, and supporting social programs.

If that was feasible wouldn't rich lefties be chomping at the bit to make it happen? (not the very illegal threats of violence and theft part, obviously) Even if there wouldn't be any money directly coming back to them (for some reason you want to make it non-profit), the good will created would be worth billions.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

rob, I really can't see where WalMart could afford to cut customer service beyond the current minimal levels. Even assuming they could keep all their customers with reduced service, they'd have to increase floor space to hold the longer customer queues.

As for diverting all dividends to employee salaries, yeah, that would fund about a $3000 per employee annual raise, but any current or former employees who got stock thru WalMart's employee stock plan would be screwed by such a change and that's without considering other negative impacts to their financials caused by the diversion.

[Sir Mohamed]

Increase the minimum wage would help and workers have to unionize.

[Intell]

Unionisation.

[Gustaf]

Better outside options for the employees, for example due to higher productivity for them.